A Simple Emotion
by yellowsharpiepen
Summary: Falling in love with a boy still wrapped up in his past was never going to be easy. Fixing a heart broken by someone else was always going to be hard. She knew that, and did it anyway.


**I wont't bore you all with a huge authors note in the very first chapter. I will just say a few things of importance.**

**Disclaimer; I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR HIS WORLD SO PLEASE DON'T SUE ME. I own only the original characters in this story.**

**Also, please check out my other stories if you like this one, it would be very much appreciated. **

**Thank you very much, I hope you enjoy. x**

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The funeral was a solemn affair.

It was an event that was not compulsory yet almost all of the pupils at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had turned up to anyway, many for fear of being regarded as disrespectful and rude.

The Great Hall had been transformed. Drapes of black material hung where the house colours usually resided and the long tables had vanished to be replaced by row upon row of delicate chairs with black ribbon tied artistically around each one. In contrast with the dark atmosphere in the hall, brilliant sunshine streamed through the huge windows, making the room dance in bright rays of summer light.

The front two rows of chairs were reserved especially for the family and friends of Jessica Barron - a girl whose death had come before its time.

Her parents and younger sister sat together, holding hands as if trying to prevent another member of their family drifting away. The face of her mother glistened with tear tracks as it caught the light. Jessica's sister looked numb, unable to grasp the reality of the situation - her sister was dead, she was _dead_. Her father, on the other hand, stared straight ahead. Focusing on the pile of flowers on the steps, he noticed a bunch of red roses and his eyes began to well up once again, she had loved roses._  
_

Jessica large gang of friends took up most of the second row. Her best friend Savannah Richards was sobbing uncontrollably in the arms of Eleanor MacMillan, her body racked with sobs.

At that moment, into the hall came a girl.

Glancing around, she slipped into a spare seat on the back row. Dressed simply in black skinny jeans, a floaty black shirt and very inconspicuous yellow converse - this was Isabelle Enderson.

Isabelle was not close to Jessica Barron.

Apart from the odd word in charms class, they had hardly spoken in their five years of being at school together. But afterall, a funeral was not an event made so guests could socialise, it was an event created so family, friends and acquaintances could celebrate the life of the deceased.

Just then, Professor Longbottom stepped up to speak. Silence settled over the congregation as he opened his mouth.

''Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you all for coming. I assume you all know why we gather here today,'' He paused momentarily and his eyes swept over Jessica's family's grief stricken faces.

''Today, we acknowledge the passing of one of our most treasured students. Jessica Barron was an intelligent, bright girl. A friend to many and loved by more, which only makes our loss greater. Jessica was an outstanding pupil, in all manners of her school life. She never failed to rise to the tests that life put forward and she never failed to overcome them...Until Tuesday the 12th of July when her final test began, but did she fail? In death, did she not succeed? To quote the words of a great man 'Death is but the next great adventure', so no. Jessica Barron did not fail, to fail would mean giving up and I for one know that Jessica _never _gave up. Now, I think a young man has a few words to say.''

Professor Longbottom stepped down and nodded at someone in the audience.

Like everyone else, Izzy strained her neck to see who it was. A boy stood up shakily and began to make his way slowly towards the stand, he was wearing a shirt and tie and his hair was an unruly mop of black. As the boy turned to face the room, she mentally hit herself, it was Albus Potter!

Obviously.

His handsome face was expressionless as he ran a hand nervously through his hair.

Albus had been Jessica's boyfriend of three years.

Intrigued, Izzy wondered what he would say. Craning her neck once again she tried to see if he had any noted with him but it appeared not.

''Uh...' He started but stopped immediately, brushing his eyes with his shirt sleeve.

Isabelle felt a pang of sympathy for him then.

''Sorry..'' He apologised shakily.

He took a few deep breaths and started again.

''So, as many of you know, Jessica was in fact my girlfriend.''

Another deep breath.

'But she was also my best friend and that makes me miss her twice as much. To know that I, or anyone else, am never going to see her again is a thought that just...''

Albus's eyes were leaking now.

''Jessica was an amazing, amazing girl and I'm only sorry that not all of you knew her well enough to see the beautiful person she was.''

He brushed his eyes again.

''I'm going to tell you a story about her if that's OK. Once, I took her to the beach near where some of my relatives live. It was quite a cold day but she insisted that she wanted a beach picnic, so I took her to the beach. I can still picture her sitting there with the blanket wrapped around her like a duvet complaining that she was cold.''

He shut his eyes.

''She was cold because she didn't have enough layers on despite me telling her to wrap up but did she listen? No. Did she ever listen? No.''

A weak smile crept onto his face but vanished as quickly as it had come.

''We sat there all afternoon just talking. And it got so late that the sun started to set into the most breathtaking sunset I've ever seen. So we just sat there taking it in, then she said to me, 'If I die, don't bury me. Cremate me and scatter my ashes right here because I want to be part of something as beautiful as that.'.''

Jessica's mother was smiling through her tears.

Albus paused.

''And if I could speak to her one last time I'd tell her that the sunset was nothing in comparison to the beautiful person she was, nothing at all. Jessica was more colourful than any sunset on this earth. Which is why these black drapes are completely out of place.''

He gestured to the drapes with one hand and with the other, he pulled his wand out of his pocket.

''So if no-one objects...''

Albus waved his wand in an arch.

The guests gasped as the black material hanging from the walls changed into drapes of every colour of the rainbow - strawberry red, daffodil yellow, grass green, sky blue, shocking pink, bright orange... Albus smiled at his work.

''Jessica deserves to have every colour in the world hanging here, but in place of that - I raise my wand.''

He pointed his wand to the sky as gold sparks began to erupt from the point.

''I raise my wand in the hope that the sparks will catch her eye and she'll know that I will _never_ forget her.''

His hand was shaking as he held his wand up.

''So if this is the final goodbye Jessica; I love you, have fun up there you old hag.''

Albus appeared to break down then, tears streaming down his face as he looked up at the sky.

Then, something happened.

Jessica's father got to his feet and slowly raised his wand, still clinging to his wifes hand.

Red sparks began to stream out of his wand like fireworks.

Isabelle's eyes were fixed on Albus as he cried, she felt helpless watching a boy cry.

Shakily, Savannah and Eleanor stood up with their wands pointing upwards as pink and blue sparks flew into the air.

The guests sat their, fixated by the touching sight.

Jessica's friends were followed by her mother, sister, more family, teachers...more and more wands began to spark silently, turning the magical ceiling of Hogwarts into a fireworks display.

Finally, Isabelle followed suit. He wand began to emit yellow sparks - her favourite colour.

''This is what she would have wanted.'' Albus said.

''Thank you.'' He added, before descending the steps on shaky legs and returning to his seat.

Isabelle stared at the wonderful sight of colour, magic and grief sparkling and spitting above their heads. She wondered whether Jessica was watching her boyfriends heart begin break in half, leaving a crack the size of the grand canyon.

She wondered whether it would ever fix.

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**Please tell me what you think by reviewing. Thank you for reading, check out my other stories if you liked it. I'll update as soon as possible, thank you once again. x**


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